Nat has improved in several areas over last year. Her footwork has gotten much better on defense and as a result she is better at denying post entry passes. In addition, whenever she does control the ball, she has learned to hold it with both hands above her head, making it virtually impossible to be stripped by a smaller player. Finally, she is a better passer than last year, with a number of assists in the past few games.
On the downside, Nat does not have good hands. She has difficulty securing the ball, particularly in traffic. Her other challenge is timing, when to jump for a rebound or to defend a shot.
When she first got here, everyone compared her to Steph. That was an unfair comparison because Steph had great hands, footwork & timing.
I actually prefer to compare Nat to Kiah Stokes. It took Kiah 3 years to get full control of her body and she became an outstanding defender & rebounder as a senior. While I don't see quite as much upside for Nat, I certainly expect more improvement before she's done at UConn.